Complete Worksheet

8/7/2019 Complete Worksheet

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The CompletePractice PlanWorksheets


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I Have a Dream The following exercises will help to expand your dreams. During this stage, it isimportant and encouraged to let your imagination run wild. Do not limit your answers bywhat you think is possible or realistic. In fact dont think in terms of possible or impossible at this point. Many people limit themselves by limiting their dreams andvision in the name of being realistic. Jazz pioneers are not realistic. They arevisionaries who are not afraid to dream. By expanding your dreams you are expandingwhat is possible for you and moving one step closer to the pioneers.

Now, answer these questions honestly. Have fun. Even if you think your answer is wildand crazy, write it down anyway. There are no limits.

1. What one dream would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

2. If you had all the time, money and resources to do whatever you wanted(musically) what would you do?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

3. What have you always wanted to do but have been afraid to do? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


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Who are your top five musical heroes and why?

1. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Write down 10 musical dreams.

1. _________________________

2. _________________________

3. _________________________

4. _________________________

5. _________________________

Big dreams!

6. _________________________

7. _________________________

8. _________________________

9. _________________________

10. ________________________


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Lesson 2: Big DreamsI Have a Dream

The following exercises will help to expand your dreams. During this stage, it isimportant and encouraged to let your imagination run wild. Do not limit your answers bywhat you think is possible or realistic. In fact dont think in terms of possible or impossible at this point. Many people limit themselves by limiting their dreams andvision in the name of being realistic. Jazz pioneers are not realistic. They arevisionaries who are not afraid to dream. By expanding your dreams you are expandingwhat is possible for you and moving one step closer to the pioneers.

Now, answer these questions honestly. Have fun. Even if you think your answer is wildand crazy, write it down anyway. There are no limits.

1. What one dream would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

2. If you had all the time, money and resources to do whatever you wanted(musically) what would you do?

______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

3. What have you always wanted to do but have been afraid to do? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________


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Who are your top five musical heroes and why?

1. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Write down 10 musical dreams.

1. _________________________

2. _________________________

3. _________________________

4. _________________________

5. _________________________

Big dreams!

6. _________________________

7. _________________________

8. _________________________

9. _________________________

10. ________________________


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Lesson 3: Your Musical ValuesTake your time with this stuff. This is the foundation. Your foundation must be strong. Bythoughtfully working through this material you will be laying down a foundation for greatness. The more solid your foundation, the higher you can go and the faster you canget there. Faster than you ever thought possible. Trust your gut. Trust your intuition.Make your answers feel right.

First, heres a list of possible values. This is an incomplete list. Its my list. Please addyour own as you think of them. Spaces have been left for just that purpose.

Cutting edge musicCreativityOriginalityStylistic mastery and accuracyMastery of the traditionVirtuosityBig EarsQuality of time feelVersatilityLyricismMastery of harmony

HonestyCompassionRisk takingPushing the envelopEnergy and StrengthTenderness and softnessMastery of RhythmPatternsSound QualityPower ClarityConnecting with an audienceMaking people danceMaking people feel goodEmotional expressionLeadershipRootsImprovisation

InteractionSupportive accompanimentComposition/arrangementFree musicStylistic freedom (esoteric)Fundamentals

__________________________________ __ ___________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________


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Choose 5-7 Values from the values list on the previous pageor write your own.

1.______________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________

5.______________________________________________________

6.______________________________________________________

7.______________________________________________________

Read through your answers. What values are most important? If youhad to choose one over the other which ones would you be willing tosacrifice for the sake of other more important values? Rewrite your listin order of priority and importance from most important (#1) to leastimportant (#7)

1.______________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________

5.______________________________________________________

6.______________________________________________________

7.______________________________________________________


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List again your top five musicians. The ones you would call a hero.Explain what it is about each musician that moves you.

1.______________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________

5.______________________________________________________

What do you think would be their most important values? List what youthink would be the top five values for each of your heroes.

Musician 1 ______________________Value 1_________________________ Value 2_________________________Value 3_________________________ Value 4_________________________Value 5_________________________

Musician 2 _____________________Value 1_________________________ Value 2_________________________Value 3_________________________ Value 4_________________________Value 5_________________________





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Imagine you could combine these musicians into a super musician. Take 1 or 2traits from each, the most outstanding traits in your mind, and create your idealsuper musician. Write a description of this musician below.

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

If you could take lessons from any musician, living or not, who would it be? ________________________________

List your 5 most burning questions for this person.

1._______________________________________________________________________

2._______________________________________________________________________

3._______________________________________________________________________

4._______________________________________________________________________

5._______________________________________________________________________

What is your Dessert Island record? ___________________ ____________________

List your 5 reasons why you chose this record..

1._______________________________________________________________________

2._______________________________________________________________________

3._______________________________________________________________________

4._______________________________________________________________________

5._______________________________________________________________________


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Lesson 4: Your Musical VisionFirst you should reread your values list. Make any changes that you see fit at this point.

Remember this is a gradual and constant process. Next, go back to your list of 10 musicaldreams. Again make any changes that you see fit. Now choose the top 3-5 dreams from thelist. And place them in order of importance below.

1._______________________________________________________________________

2._______________________________________________________________________

3._______________________________________________________________________

4._______________________________________________________________________

5._______________________________________________________________________

Two exercises to help figure out your vision statement.Write a eulogy for yourself. Imagine you were gone and a close friend or peer was reading aeulogy at your memorial service in front of your family, friends and the jazz community. How wouldyou want to be remembered? What would you want to be known for? What aspects of your life andaccomplishments would you want them to talk about?

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Pretend you are a jazz critic writing a review about a performance or release. Pretend its YOURperformance or release 5 years from now. How would you want your music to be described? What

elements would you want to stand out in your music? Make this an ideal description of your music. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________


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Now use the exercises you just completed to craft a vision statement of your future. There will be elements in both the review and the eulogy that you may want to usein your vision statement. Remember make it as clear as possible. While writing it, keepthe following questions on your mind: How far can I go? Can I go farther? Can I go in adifferent direction?

Start with your top 3-5 dreams and begin crafting a paragraph that describes what you willdo, accomplish and what your music will sound like in the future. Make your statementbold and emotional. Remember the purpose of this statement is to motivate you andinspire you to keep moving farther and keep taking action.

Your statement may scare you at first. It may seem uncomfortable and unrealistic. Thatsfine. In the coming chapters you will learn to break it all down into bite sized pieces.Pieces that you know you can hit. And as you hit target after target your confidence willgrow and your confidence in the inevitability of your vision will grow.

My vision of my musical future is _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Chris personal vision

My vision is to be a truly original voice in jazz, and a world class jazz drummer withimpeccable swing feel, power, big ears, a melodic & thematic style and the ability to lift aband up to new levels and make them sound great.

"You've got to think about big things while you're doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction." Alvin Toffler


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Lesson 5: Your Musical Mission

Some Tips on Crafting Your Mission Statement

1. Make it serve your vision. It should describe your basic actions and strategyto realize your vision.

2. Keep it simple, clear and brief. A few sentences.

3. Make it positive. Describe what you will DO, as opposed to what you willNOT DO.

4. Include specific actions and behaviors.

5. Make it grand and inspiring.

6. Use your musical values and vision as a starting point.

7. Consider how it will affect your day to day actions (i.e. practicing, listening,sessions, etc)

8. Rewrite it many times until it becomes clear if necessary.

9. Have several very close friends or teachers read it. Is it clear to them whatyour purpose is?

10. Include an emotional element. Something that resonates deeply with you.

Now Write Your Mission Statement:

________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________


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Lesson 7: How To Choose Powerful GoalsThe 6 Main Areas of Musical PracticeInstrumental Technique - this is control of your instrument. Topics to studywould include, arpeggios, scales, scale patterns, accent patterns, range,articulation, dynamics, rudiments, coordination, etc.

Etudes - are any classical or jazz pieces written for your instrument anddesigned to bring the instrumental techniques together into a musical setting

relating to execution, technique, expression and interpretation.

Sight-reading - this is, of course, the ability to read new material at will. Youcan choose appropriate material each day to hone and practice sight-reading.This material could include rhythmic sight reading, reading lines with norhythms, chords, classical pieces, music written for an instrument other thanyour own, etc.

Repertoire - jazz is a language of music built on and around tunes. You shouldconstantly seek to expand your repertoire by learning tunes from the wholelibrary of standards, jazz tunes and modern tunes.

Ear-training - this is your ability to recognize musical elements by ear (pitch,harmony, rhythms, forms, articulation, dynamics etc) and respond on your instrument.

Improvisation - this is what its all about --creating art in real time. Topics for improvisation would include chord-scale soloing, rhythmic values, phraselengths, pacing, motive development, etc.

See Hal Crooks books, How to Improvise, How to Comp, and Ready, Aim,Improvise for a comprehensive list of improvisational topics and exercises tomaster them. They are available at his website www.halcrook.com.


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Begin by rereading your vision statement, mission statement and values. Based on what youwrote choose at least ten goals that you would like to accomplish and write them on the linesprovided.

Be sure to choose goals that serve your vision. Each goal should be achievable in six to twelvemonths. You must believe that it is possible.

For example, if you have been playing saxophone for one year choosing the goal of improvisingover John Coltranes tune Giant Steps at quarter note = 300 is not realistic and will only serve todiscourage you when you dont even come close. No matter how much you like the tune. Learningto improvise fluidly using chord tones over the blues in four different keys is a much better goal. Itwill still push your limits but its doable. Be as specific as possible.

I importance1. __________________________________________________________ _________

2. __________________________________________________________ _________

3. __________________________________________________________ _________

4. __________________________________________________________ _________

5. __________________________________________________________ _________

6. __________________________________________________________ _________

7. __________________________________________________________ _________

8. __________________________________________________________ _________

9. __________________________________________________________ _________

10. _________________________________________________________ ________

Now, you want to limit this list down to the most important goals. Go back through the list and labeleach goal A (very important), B (important) or C (nice, but not important) in the space providedon the right side of the page.

From all of the goals you described as A goals choose the top three goals and place them in order

of importance here. You cant hit them all at once .

1. ______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________


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Lesson 10: The Classic Planning Method (slightly expanded)

1. Decide exactly what you want - the first step in goal achievement is to decide exactlywhat you want. You do this by reviewing your vision and mission, brainstorming possiblesupporting goals and choosing one.

2. Write it down in vivid detail- Write it down on paper. With as much detail as possible.What exactly will you be able to do when your goal is accomplished? How will you knowwhen youve accomplished your goal? How will you measure it? The more clearly definedyour goal is, the greater the likelihood of achieving it. Physically writing it down on paper

can not be over-emphasized. Write and re-write your goals daily. This will keep your mindfocused and your eyes on the prize.

3. Determine how you and your music will benefit from achieving that goal- writedown all of the ways that you will benefit from achieving this goal. How will your musicchange? How will it improve? What musical opportunities will hitting this goal bring you?What music will you be able to play? What bands will you be able to join? Determining howyou will benefit from hitting your target will motivate and unleash tremendous power, energyand motivation. The more benefits you can come up with, the more motivated you will be

4. Determine the major obstacles you will have to overcome to achieve your goal-what will be most challenging for you? What could potentially keep you from achieving your goal? Knowing this information up-front will help you to plan more effectively and will alsohelp you deal with these challenges. When you put your challenges down on paper, theyusually dont seem so big.

5. Determine the resources you will need to achieve your goal- will you need to buy acertain CD, or a certain book. Will you need a metronome or a pitch pipe?

6. Determine the people, whose cooperation you will need to achieve your goal- Isthere a teacher whom you should study with? Will you need to put together a practice

band, or find a practice partner? Will you have to talk to your parents or significant other about giving you the time and space to practice or about being understanding of the noiselevel?


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7. Make a List- write down everything that you can think of that you will have to do toachieve this goal. List every single step. Break your goal down into tiny bite-size piecesthat you can complete in one practice session. As you think of more steps, add them toyour list. This is how you accomplish a big goal. You have to break it down into the actualsteps that you will complete in your daily practice sessions.

8. Put your list in order- now turn your list into an actual plan. Put every step in order.What will you have to do first? Second? And so on. This will now serve as your blueprint;you map. This blueprint will move you forward fast.

9. Give your goal a deadline- without a deadline a goal is simply a wish. Decide when youwill achieve your goal. On what date will you be able to perform I Got Rhythm in all twelvekeys from memory? If you find that you are not going to hit your deadline, simply create anew one. Not to say that deadlines should be changed on a whim. You should always striveto hit your goals on time, but there will be occasions when you will have to modify your plan. As you practice this method you will get better and better at estimating how long agoal will take to complete.

10. Take Action- go practice. Get busy. Work on your plan. Action is the key to success.Without action you cannot accomplish anything. With action you will accomplish greatthings. Even if your plan is flawed you can accomplish a lot, simply by taking action. Action,

Action and more Action.

11. Practice and Work on Your Plan Everyday develop the habit and discipline of practicing and working on your plan every single day. Even if you only have twenty minutesto practice, do it. Learn something or take a tiny, tiny step forward. You will be amazed byhow much you can learn and how fast your music can progress by utilizing this formula.

This is the most powerful tool to help you progress on your musical journey and become amonster jazz musician.

12. Resolve to never stop until you hit your goal- never give up. Make a commitment toyourself to keep going until you finish. The habit of follow through is truly a habit of greatness. Many people dont realize how close they are to achieving their goals and theyquit just before they get there. Follow through is what separates the good from the great.Never give up!


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Goal # 11. Write it down in vivid detail- write it down on paper. What exactly will it look, soundand feel like when you reach it. Use keys, tempos, dynamics and any other detailedinformation you can to define it.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

2. Determine how you and your music will benefit from achieving that goal- writedown at least five ways in which your music will improve in which you will benefit. The morebenefits you come up with the better.

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

3. Determine the major obstacles you will have to overcome to achieve your goal-what will be most challenging for you? What could potentially keep you from achieving your goal? What will be the bottle necks?

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

5. Determine the people whose cooperation you will need to achieve your goal- Is

there a teacher whom you should study with? Will you need to put together a practiceband, or find a practice partner? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


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6. Give your goal a deadline - when will you hit your target. Use a specific date as in June1 st , 200X.

I will hit my target

on__________________________________________

7. Make a List of the major steps on the way to reaching this long-term goal. Dontmake this list too detailed. These steps should each take 1-3 months to complete. Theseare your medium-term goals. You may have only 3 or you may have 12.

_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________

_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________

8. Put your list in order- now turn your list into an actual plan. Put every step in order. Whatwill you have to do first? Second? Organize your steps in the right hand column using thenumbers 1-12. #1 being the first step

Now we have a list of medium-term goals that you will refer to through out the next sixmonths to a year on the way to your target . But for now focus only on the first step .This is your primary medium-term goal and it should take from 1 3 months to hit it.


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9. Short-Term Goals- Make a List of the steps on the way to your primary medium-termgoal. These steps will be your short-terms goals. These steps should each take severaldays to a week. Each day when you practice, the first short-term goal on your list will beyour focus.

_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________

_____________________________________________________________ _________

10. Put your list in order- now turn your list into an actual plan. Put every step in order.What will you have to do first? Second? Organize your steps in the right hand column usingnumbers. #1 being the first step

Your first target (#1) is your primary short-term target for the next several days. This is whatyou will be practicing everyday until you hit it. You may wish to further break this goal downinto a step by step day by day plan. First you should complete the planning process for your other two long- term goals (see below). When youre finished this process you willhave three plans and three short-term goals. You will use the daily practice plan located atthe end of this chapter to set specific results each day and to track them.


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________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________




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on__________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________

_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________




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________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________




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on__________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________

_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________




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9. Short-Term Goals- Make a List of the steps on the way to your primary medium-termgoal. These steps will be your short-terms goals. These steps should each take severaldays to a week. Each day when you practice, the first short-term goal on your list will beyour focus.

_____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ _____________________________________________________________ _________

_____________________________________________________________ _________

10. Put your list in order- now turn your list into an actual plan. Put every step in order.What will you have to do first? Second? Organize your steps in the right hand column usingnumbers. #1 being the first step

Your first target (#1) is your primary short-term target for the next several days. This is whatyou will be practicing everyday until you hit it. You may wish to further break this goal downinto a step by step day by day plan. First you should complete the planning process for your other two long- term goals (see below). When youre finished this process you willhave three plans and three short-term goals. You will use the daily practice plan located atthe end of this chapter to set specific results each day and to track them.


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Lesson 11: Keeping Track Of It All

Vision

Mission

Goal 1

Goal 2

Goal 3

Target #1 ____________________________________Target Date________________




Target #5 ____________________________________Target Date_________________












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Daily practice planThis sheet is used to plan specific target results for a specific practice sessionand to track specific results achieved for a specific practice session. You willbe working on one short-term goal for each of your long-term goals.

Date: Mission Statement:

#1 Primary Short-term goal: Specific Desired Results for Today:

Time Allotted: Specific Results Achieved:






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